More Eurofighter jets for airforce

Wednesday 14 January 2009 00:05 BST

A third batch of Eurofighter Typhoon jets is to be bought for the RAF, the Government has confirmed.

Announcing the decision, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said it would strengthen Britain's defence capability and "create new jobs in advanced manufacturing that Britain needs to emerge stronger and fitter from this global downturn".

Defence Secretary John Hutton said: "We look forward to receiving an affordable bid from European industry that will allow us to proceed with a programme that will deliver advanced multi-role aircraft to the Royal Air Force and maintain high-technology skills and industrial capability across the UK and Europe."

And he added: "Subject to the satisfactory outcome of these negotiations, I hope that we will be in a position to sign a contract later this year."

The Ministry of Defence said a contract for the new jets would be signed once negotiations involving the manufacturers and the Eurofighter programme's partner nations - the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain - had concluded.

The number and cost of the aircraft are still to be determined as part of these negotiations.

The MoD said that at peak production, the Typhoon programme will help sustain 5,000 jobs at BAE Systems, 4,000 throughout aero-engine maker Rolls Royce and its supply chain and up to 16,000 in total in the UK aerospace industry.

The announcement will quell concerns that the order for a third batch of the controversial jets might be cancelled.

The other partner nations would have expected to be compensated for extra costs if Britain withdrew from the third production run.

The Eurofighter, seen as a replacement for the Tornado, has been dogged by delays and cost over-runs.